Tuesday, April 27, 2004
The unlikely pair of John McCain and Madeline Albright have written an important editorial on Burma. Clear on the need to act against the regime there, the piece is more careful and perhaps vague on one step needed to achieve real pressure on Rangoon - getting Thailand to change its attitude
In A Need to Act on Burma, they do single out Bangkok as a country in particular which needs to reconsider where Burma is headed. This may be a tall order.
Thailand's government is strongly pro-Burma, but has wisely contributed forces to Iraq. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is a fairly wily guy - and he will no doubt make the case for engagement with Burma. Thailand remains a very solid ally in the region (more than, say, Indonesia or Malaysia where the suicide belt may become a fashion statement). Getting them to budge on their new buddy, particularly when Burma has cooperated with them in stabilizing their long border, will be tough.
In A Need to Act on Burma, they do single out Bangkok as a country in particular which needs to reconsider where Burma is headed. This may be a tall order.
Thailand's government is strongly pro-Burma, but has wisely contributed forces to Iraq. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is a fairly wily guy - and he will no doubt make the case for engagement with Burma. Thailand remains a very solid ally in the region (more than, say, Indonesia or Malaysia where the suicide belt may become a fashion statement). Getting them to budge on their new buddy, particularly when Burma has cooperated with them in stabilizing their long border, will be tough.
